Hold on to your seats folks, LaMichael just reintroduced himself to the country as a legitimate Heismann contender after the best rushing game in Ducks history...and he did it while watching freshman Lache Seastrunk handle most of the carries in the second half. This game was special for new coach Huyen Nguyen, who returned to his alma mater. "I had goosebumps running onto the field with the guys. It was special." Nothing was special in the early going for the Ducks, as Darron Thomas looked completely out of sync with his wide receivers. Kansas State showed no sympathy, as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a Broderick Smith 21 yard TD reception. The high-powered Oregon Ducks offense would go scoreless in the first quarter.

The second half saw Darron Thomas get into a groove of sorts, as he connected with WR Chad Delaney for a 15 yard TD catch. However, Thomas would dislocate his shoulder and be out for the rest of the game. In hostile territory with a tied score and the starting QB out for the game, the Ducks looked to be in trouble. The special teams had better ideas. On the ensuing kick off, Oregon forced K-State to fumble. Backup QB Bryan Bennett would then hit TE David Paulson for a TD. On the very next kickoff, Oregon once again made K-State cough up the football, leading to a 4 yard TD from James. Oregon had score 21 straight point after falling behind 7 points to start off the game. Could the Ducks continue the momentum? Enter LaMichael James.

James would score two more touchdowns in the half on runs of 42 and 48 yards. Displaying quick, darting moves and ankle-breaking cuts, LaMichael left K-State defenders whiffing at air early and often. "He was a freaking blur out there. Some of the Wildcat defenders told me that he was ridiculous. I would have to agree," said WR John Huff. James would play for half of the 3rd quarter before giving way to highly recruited Lache Seastrunk. LaMichael had 4TD's. "Man, how do you even follow up to something like that?" said a smiling Seastrunk. "I told him that wasn't cool. At least come out with a fumble so I might look better."

The defense played exceptionally well, recovering 5 fumbles. "I am extremely happy with our defense. We contained the opponents and forced them into difficult situations," said coach Nguyen. "Our second stringers recovered three fumbles? That's a heck of a job." Having LaMichael James obviously helps. "To say LaMichael was outstanding today would be an understatement. He played with so much heart and determination that he literally willed us to a win. When Darron went down, he told me to put the ball in his hands," said coach Nguyen. "He took the ball and ran with it. Unfortunately for K-State, he kept running. Just unbelievable."

With the PAC-10 watching to see how Oregon would respond after going through another coach, they better believe the the Ducks are back. "Losing to Texas in the Holiday Bowl hurts. We had that game. But whatever, that's in the past. We're all about the here and now," said LaMichael James. "Coach has a plan for us and we believe in him. He told us we can win the PAC-10 and that this isn't a rebuilding year. We have talent at the skill position...it's go time baby!!!"

Haha that was the face I made when I heard the announcer said he broke a school record.

I am not going to lie, it feels nice to have a back with his abilities and an O-Line that doesn't collapse as soon as the ball was hiked (ala Air Force). That last TD in the highlight video made me smile...James was in the ZONE!

The Utah Utes improve to 2-0 with stellar defense. They forced two key turnovers which would lead to immediate scores and momentum shifters. As for the offense, it was very average as Jordan Wynn made some mistakes, completing 15 of 24 passes for 269 yards with 2 TD's and 2 Int's. Lucky Radley had 17 carries for 38 yards and we need to see more production out of him. The WR core did well, led by Kenneth Scott and DeVonte Christopher combined for 9 tackles for 206 yards with 2 TD's.

The Utah Utes (2-0,0-0) have a bye next week but then open up their first MWC conference game against Air Force.

Iowa takes care of the offensive machine Pittsburgh, 48-31. Pitt jumped out to a 10-0 lead taking their first two drives and converting them for a TD and FG. On Iowa's second drive they went for a 4th and goal from the 2 and were stoned. Backup QB A.J. Derby was weak on the cadence, and the Pitt D-Line was on top of him as he was handing the ball off. They converted that for their FG. Iowa's third drive came to an early halt, but Mossbrucker's punt was covered extremely well, and Freshman LB Austin Gray got the big knock on Dion Lewis and made him cough it up. CB Jordan Bernstine would then go for the scoop and score. On the following kickoff, returner Cameron Saddler would be stripped of the ball while fighting for the extra yards. Iowa went right to work, and Vandenberg would find TE Brad Herman on the very first play for the TD. All of the sudden it was 14-10 Iowa and the crowd was quiet. Pittsburgh would strike right back, and quickly. A pass from Sunseri to slot receiver Thomas, and Thomas would burn up the seam, never being touched for a 71 yd score. Just over a minute later in the 2nd quarter, Iowa would top off their very own drive after a long completion to TE CJ Fiedorowicz. Adam Robinson would take the screen pass, and follow his entourage into the endzone for the 6. Again Pitsburgh had an answer, this time Sunseri hit up WR Mike Shanahan for the scoring combo. Iowa had just over 20 seconds and all three timeouts. After a TB on the kickoff, Vandenberg found WR Paul Chaney JR all alone on a streak against the cover 2. Chaney broke out of the first tackle, but was forced out of bounds right around the 30. Keenan Davis hauled in a great catch to get Iowa solidly in Mossbruckers range, and Iowa went into the half, tied 24-24.

The second half was all Iowa, as they went to the ground, and methodically pounded away at the Pitt defense. A beautiful catch and YAC by WR Marvin McNutt put the first points on the board. McNutt took the tipped ball 70 yards to the greener pasture, walking out of defenders arms along the way. Adam Robinson picked up his first rushing TD of the season 2 minutes later as he broke the big one. 53 yards, and Adam Robinson looks like the back I expected to see. Pitt responds with a TD from their Backup QB to TE Brock DiCicco to close out the 3rd quarter and the scoring for Pitt.

A little over a minute later, Wegher pops the cherry, and the Hawkeyes drive the lead to 14. The defense finally stepped up with a big stop, and the offense runs some clock, leaving a good FG attempt for Mossbrucker to close out the scoring. 48-31 Iowa to finish it all off. An incredible day for Vandenberg, looking polished in his very first game starting. 11 of 17 for 347 yards and 3 TDs. A lot of those yards were WR's gaining the YAC, but when you are throwing the ball where it needs thrown, the receivers get to keep that step they earned running their route.

I hope this is not a sign of things to come from the defense. This was a very good Pitt offense, but we need to buckle down and play better up front. The line has questions. The LB's are picking up the slack, but it is forcing the secondary into man coverage with no help over the top. Tyler Sash looked lost at times with 99 awareness and 98 play recognition. The seam play to Thomas, he should have picked him up, but didn't react until after the ball was already caught and Thomas was breaking away. We will get them straight this week before BYU, otherwise it will be a nightmare against a very wide open offense.